Chase Stadium- The Chicago Fire went scorched earth on Inter Miami, walloping the Herons 5-3 on a wild and crazy Tuesday night of MLS futbol. Miami lost ground in its quest for the Supporters’ Shield while Chicago clinched its first playoff berth since 2017. The loss highlighted Miami’s shaky and inconsistent team defense. It begs the question: What’s wrong with Miami?
First Half Fiasco
The Fire’s flame was ignited early by Dje D’Avilla, who softly headed in a corner kick past Oscar Ustari in the 11th minute.
Davilla gets the soft header past Ustari off the corner kick cross to out Chicago up 1-0 in the 11th minute..Not the start #InterMiamiCF imagined to start the game..#MLS #MLSes #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 30, 2025
Jonathan Dean gave the surging Fire a 2-0 lead in the 31st minute after Rodrigo De Paul failed to win a challenge in the midfield that led to the breakaway goal.
RDP loses a 50/50 ball ⚽️ in the midfield that leads to Chicago’s 2nd goal of the night … Dean takes Ustari to school & puts Chicago up 2-0 in the first half..#MLS #MLSes #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
Inter Miami got one back in the 39th minute with a Tomas Aviles loose ball goal.
Tomas Avilés gets a loose ball ⚽️ in the box and wills it into the Fire 🔥 net to put #InterMiamiCF on the scoresheet 2-1 Chicago leads …#MLS #MLSes
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
Rominigue Kouamé gave Chicago a 3-1 lead just before halftime off another lethal counterattack for the Fire. Miami’s team defense was in shambles.
Kouame with a nice fake, leaves Avilés grasping for air, then puts in the 3rd goal for Chicago Fire 🔥.. #InterMiamiCF is being counter attacked out of their stadium 🏟️..#MLS #MLSes #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
A terrible first half for Miami, considering the talent the Herons have on paper. Unfortunately, the games are played on the pitch, and Miami’s stars are not performing at the level that’s expected of them.
Terrible 1st half for #InterMiamiCF.. The counter attack by Chicago Fire 🔥 has completely dismantled the Herons..Mascherano experimented with the lineup and it has been a complete disaster.. #MLS #MLSes #Lemoncitylive pic.twitter.com/MbkWiGZLQ0
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
Miami improved in the second half, tying the match at 3-3 at one point, but they could not get over the hump. Luis Suarez brought Inter Miami CF closer in the 57th minute with a sharp finish after a Baltasar Rodriguez assist.
Baltasar Rodriguez gives Luis Suarez the assist & #InterMiamiCF gets closer to Chicago 3-2.. There’s still time & hope for the Herons..#MLS #MLSes #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
Jordi Alba and Suarez teamed up for Miami’s third goal, tying the match and seemingly shifting the momentum Miami’s way.
Jordi Alba puts the ball ⚽️ on a plate for Luis Suarez & “El Pistolero” puts it in to tie the match 3-3..The excitement has been building along with the momentum for the Herons..#Messi #MLS #InterMiamiCF #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
Chicago, during Inter Miami’s best moments in the game, found their fourth goal of the night with a Justin Reynold’s tap-in.
Wild wild wild game! Chicago goes up 4-3 in the 80th on a Reynolds tap in after a series of bloopers in the box.. What a crazy night..#Messi #MLSes #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
Brian Gutierrez blasted Chicago’s final goal from long distance, effectively ending the Herons’ hopes of a comeback. A disappointing performance at home ended in pain and frustration for Miami, while bringing joy and accomplishment to Chicago.
Gutiérrez slams a long distance missile for the 5-3 Chicago lead & essentially finishes #InterMiamiCF off, unless there’s a miracle in this Crazy game..#MLS #MLSes #Lemoncitylive
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) October 1, 2025
What’s Wrong With Miami?
Since Miami’s match on April 27th against FC Dallas and up until their last match versus the Chicago Fire on Tuesday night, Inter Miami has allowed 3 or more goals on 12 occasions. That’s terrible for a team with championship expectations like the Herons. Mascherano said it himself: if they are to win trophies, defense will lead the way.
Inter Miami has been unable to settle on a consistent backline, and the playoffs are around the corner. Mascherano’s first concern should be to cement a starting four for Miami that can be cohesive and provide consistent performances. The centerback position is where the brunt of the question marks are. Maxi Falcon seems to be the rock in the middle of the defense, but who is his ideal partner? That question needs to be answered immediately by Mascherano.
Maxi Falcón ya viste los colores del sueño 💗🖤 ¡Bienvenido a Miami!
We’ve signed defender Maximiliano Falcón from Chilean First Division champions Club Social y Deportivo Colo Colo.
More details: https://t.co/1QLJ9JSRWE pic.twitter.com/bMtEMAsFe9
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 1, 2025
Rodrigo De Paul
De Paul is only part of the problem, but he gets special mention because of the high expectations he was brought in with. “El Motorcito” has been anything but an engine for Miami. He’s had some good games, but overall has been mediocre, and he cannot be mediocre for the Herons. Rodrigo’s defensive effort has been poor so far. He must improve dramatically if Miami is to improve defensively in the midfield. It’s not sustainable for De Paul to be an average midfielder for Miami.
Rodrigo De Paul usually steps up when the lights shine brightest..Now is his time to shine with #InterMiamiCF as he has been average thus far for the Herons, considering his championship pedigree..#MLS #Lemoncitylive #MLSes pic.twitter.com/KFXiS8txwA
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 30, 2025
Starting Lineup
Inter Miami is a team full of big-name players that has enormous expectations to win it all. Mascherano has relied on Messi, Busquets, Falcon, Alba, Suarez, Ustari, and De Paul to be the foundation of the squad. The issue is that among these seven players, only Falcon has consistently and passionately defended at a high rate. Messi and Suarez are not the best at pressuring the opposing players. Busquets and De Paul have been weak in defending in the midfield, often tracking back slowly on counterattacks. Alba has been great going forward, but not so much tracking back, although he has been the best of the Barcelona boys defensively. Oscar Ustari began the season phenomenally, but has tailed off during the latter part of the season.
These core players have not been cohesive, nor have they been strong when defending. Unless they make a conscious effort to maintain their defensive shape or improve their defensive intensity, Mascherano might have to tinker with his core starters.
Starting XI #InterMiamiCF the Herons have Segovia, Weigandt, Avilés, & Lujan back on the pitch 🆚 Chicago Fire 🔥..Miami must keep the 3 pts at home if they want to continue in the race for the #MLS Supporters’ Shield 🛡️..#MLSes pic.twitter.com/ZD22x7Vh0I
— Xavier Guerrero (@XGLAVOZ) September 30, 2025
No Rest For The Weary
Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez have all played heavy minutes for Inter Miami this season. The veteran superstars looked like they had heavy legs during last season’s playoff matchup against Atlanta United, and because of the lack of rest, something similar could happen again this season. Against the Chicago Fire, Inter Miami looked like a tired team. It has been an ongoing issue in the last two seasons, and the Coach has his fingerprints all over this issue. Mascherano, currently, and Tata Martino, in the prior season, never managed to convince their veteran players to play fewer minutes during the season to reach the final stages with fresher legs.
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